Within Sapphire Eyes
by Lord Gale119
Summary: Adopted by the Maraki clan just after birth, Naruto grows protected from the hatred of the village, guarded by his family and his clan. Now, though, he is discovering just what makes him so special. NaruXhinaXKyuu. -REWRITE PENDING-
1. The sword, The wolf, and the fox

I had the idea for this a LLOOONNG Time ago, and never really did anything. The first version had Naruto as an orphan, But I was never happy with that. And so, I rewrote it. I don't know about the name, though. -_-. And then I had other stories that took priority, and I decided, I needed another Naruto Fic, not a crossover. Sooo…I decided to post this. I hope you like it. Also, as for the pairings….heh, I'll leave those open. If there is a specific pairing you wish to see, then leave it in a review or pm me, and I'll reply at some point in one way or the other.

All around sounds echoed off the walls of the chamber. Standing in the very center was a man. Dressed in regal robes, he pulled a suit of armor over his clothes, the Samurai-styled plates gleaming a deep blue, with crimson thread connecting the pieces. After a moment, the man reached for a spear hanging on the wall, but withdrew his hand. Turning to the wall opposite the door, he began to weave hand signs. At the final sign, he pulled out a tanto, slitting his right thumb. The words the warrior called could be heard throughout the building.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu! Fenrir!" In an instant, large amounts of smoke filled the chamber. A silhouette could be seen through the haze, while gleaming golden eyes penetrated the darkness and fog. A growling, regal voice was heard, the echoes shattering the outside noise.

"Ah, Tasuhake-Dono. I was wondering when you'd call me. What crisis would call for the blade?" The Samurai-garbed shinobi bowed his head, the many joints in his armor clinking and groaning. Again, he spoke to the summons, his voice filled with an odd mixture of respect and authority."Fenrir, the greatest of all the demons is here. I must use Hoshiken if the village is to survive."

The golden eyes narrowed, staring at the man before them. "And what makes you so sure you can even delay the destruction of Konoha? The Blade may even deign to assist the Kyuubi. Your power is not yet great enough." The ninja raised his head, revealing his handsome face. His eyes began to glow, changing from a gentle brown to a fierce, electric blue, whilst four luminous red triangles orbited a blood red pupil. The summon growled in surprise as the triangles began to swirl inward, merging with the pupil to form an elaborate cross-shaped shuriken. The strange eyes spun slowly, glowing all the while. The golden eyes closed for a few moments, then opened again, and anyone would swear that they were laughing inwardly, despite the approaching danger. The voice rang out again.

"You have achieved Enkyoku, Tasuhake-dono…Very well. You may make use of Hoshiken."Out of the lingering smoke stepped a gargantuan wolf, whose fur shone silver with streaks of flaming red. Strapped on his back was a long sword, with seals traveling the length of the scabbard. The wolf, Fenrir, bent low, allowing the man to touch the hilt with his still bloodied hand. He focused his chakra into his thumb, and then wiped a red streak down the wrapping. With a shout of "Kai!" The seals on the sheath rushed up to the handle, gathering on the Tsuba. Tasuhake drew the weapon, and was instantly met with a barrage of thoughts, many not his own. Whispers filled his head, urging him to take action, actions nobody in their right mind would take.

_"You want this power, you want it enough to kill for it. Go ahead, and kill Fenrir. With him gone, we can be free and happy, killing all we like. We can-"_ Tasuhake cut these whispers off as ruthlessly as they were, glaring at the blade, which decided to stay quiet. Nobody won a glaring match with Tasuhake Maraki once he activated his Tenmongan. The clan head turned back to Fenrir, bowing low again. As he turned to leave, Fenrir stepped forward.

"I will go with you, for the Hoshiken will surely be amplified once it comes into contact with the Kyuubi." The wolf growled, sending a glance at the sword in the ninja's hand. The man smiled, nodding, and walked out of the room with the wolf.

--

The Kyuubi roared again, a deafening howl that sent trees flying. One of its red-orange tails flicked forward, uprooting a particularly large tree, flinging it at the advancing line of shinobi. A grin spread on its black-ringed lips, putting meter-long fangs on display. The pain was slowly fading the further away from the black-cloaked men it got, but it still wanted to attack the home of the Snake-man. As the pain further faded, the fox discovered it could no longer move. Its head was still movable, though, and as it glanced around, it saw that one of the ninjas had managed to slip by undetected. The ninja wore a blue suit of armor, and held a glowing sword in its right hand, while the left rested on a small wolf. It was big for a wolf, but was still insignificant to a Bijuu. The mans eyes glowed, and the Kyuubi saw, with a dawning sense of horror, the Red and Blue glows were unified, meaning…

**"An Enkyoku!"** The Kyuubi growled out, furious that one of the Ningen had the power to hold a Bijuu captive. And that sword… a powerful spiritual presence radiated from the weapon, and the chakra swirling in the air was almost as demonic as its own. But, from what the Kyuubi knew, none of the fellow tailed beasts were sealed in a weapon. So it had to be a soul. The demon's attention shifted when it heard a loud bellowing. The fox turned its head again, to see a massive toad wielding a sword, a small figure upon its head. The next thing the demon knew, there was a pain beyond what the Snake-Man had ever caused, and in an instant, it was over, and all the Kyuubi would know for a few years would be darkness. To preserve its existence, the fox went into hibernation, sleeping peacefully until… whenever it woke up, it guessed.

--

The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hizuren, sighed, shaking his head in sorrow. He had seen the flash, had seen the Kyuubi No Kitsune disappear, and now it seemed that the Yondaime was dead as well. If it were not for Minato's interference, He was sure they would have lost Tasuhake as well. The man had even brought out the cursed blade, of all things! Thank Kami that Fenrir had been there to restrain the demonic thing, or else he feared he might have had to take action. Sarutobi looked down at the crying newborn that had the misfortune of being the vessel for the Kyuubi. The Yondaime had wished for the child to be seen as a hero, but somehow, he didn't think that would be the case. The villagers weren't as open-minded as he wished, but only time would tell if things would play out the way he hoped. Sarutobi sat down at his desk and called for one of his assistants.

"Send for Maraki Tasuhake. Tell him I have something to talk to him about." The man looked confused, but nodded, ducking out of the office. Within minutes, the Maraki clan head appeared at the door, still wearing his battle armor. He bowed before speaking.

"You wished to speak with me, Sandaime-Sama?" Sarutobi lit his pipe, enjoying the calming effect it had on his stressed nerves. He motioned for the tall man to sit in one of the chairs.

"Yes, yes I did." The old man stared at the child before him, still deep in thought. Tasuhake, having been under the Sandaime's command before Namikaze Minato took the title, was used to the man's silent lapses. He waited patiently, following the old ninja's gaze to the baby, who had finally fallen asleep.

"That's the child?" He asked, noticing the spiral seal on the infant's stomach. The Hokage nodded wearily.

"And the reason I wanted to see you." He replied.

"Hokage-sama?"

"This boy will grow up with an unbelievable burden. The villagers may hate him for it. I wanted you to see him, since you delayed the Kyuubi yourself, so that you understand what he truly is: a jinchuriki, not the demon itself, as many would see it." The wizened leader looked the warrior in the eye, and Tasuhake felt an unnatural shiver run down his spine. Dismissing it as an after affect of Hoshiken, the clan leader stared back at the Sandaime, who proceeded to outline his plans for the boy. He would be given his mother's maiden name, and put into an orphanage. Once he became older, they would see what had to be done. Sarutobi stared at the orphan as he spoke, his eyes filled with a mixture of respect, awe, and remorse. "When he grows older, he may come to realize the truth. I want you to ensure he can survive this ordeal. Tasuhake," The ninja stiffened, ready to receive his orders. "I want you to be there for this child."

Tasuhake sat in silence, mulling this information over. Finally, he reached a decision.

"Hokage-sama… I would like to adopt this boy, and induct him into the Maraki Clan." The Hokage was shocked. He knew the Maraki head was a compassionate man, but adoption? Seeing the aged kage's disbelief, the young leader elaborated.

"Hokage-sama, if he is put into an orphanage, he will be hated, possibly even beaten. The village will not accept an orphan Jinchuriki. If he were a Maraki, he would have full protection as a clan member and as my adopted son. Plus… Hitomi just gave birth two days ago, and I think Kira would want a brother the same age as he is." Sarutobi chuckled, thinking this over. After a few moments, he nodded.

"The council won't be happy about this, but I think I can take care of them. I'll send you the papers later."

**7 years later…**

Maraki Tasuhake was sitting in his room in the Maraki complex in Konoha, enjoying a book he had recently bought from the local bookstore. As he turned the page, a trickle of blood ran from his nose. Chuckling to himself, he was about to move on to the next chapter when he heard the pattering of small feet running through the halls. Poking his head out of the doorway, he inadvertently let in two short blurs. Looking around he saw nothing, and was turning back to his book when he noticed it wasn't in his hand anymore. Tasuhake whirled back to the room, and saw two young boys looking at his book, their faces slack in shock. Unfortunately, the shorter of the two snapped out of his stupor and gave their father an evil grin.

"Otou-san, what would Okaa-san think if she knew you were reading books like these?" The blonde asked, while the brunette was staring at the contents in a haze. The blonde looked at his brother exasperatedly, before snapping his fingers in his face.

"Kira! Konoha to Kira, Blackmail going on!" He snapped at his brother, causing the brunette to wake from his daze, and give an eerily similar grin to his father. Tasuhake paled. It was bad enough with his sons finding out, but if Hitomi ever found out, he'd be dead for sure. Raising his hands in a placating motion, he tried to get his book back, only to be thwarted by his first son.

"C'mon, kids, gimme a break. Do you know what would happen to me if your mother ever found out?" The two simply smiled wider. They knew, alright. Sighing, he sat down. "Alright, what is it?" He asked, knowing they'd want something in exchange for keeping quiet. They did.

"I wanna know-"

"Could you teach me-" Both started at once, stopped, looked at each other, and said, in unison,

_"You go first."_ The blonde, taking the initiative, said,

"Fine. Otou-san… I wanna know… why is it that only the clan, Jiji, and the Ichirakus like me? I mean…" Kira gaped at his brother in surprise. _'What does he mean, nobody likes him? The other day at the clan meeting, I saw Hyuuga-san blushing at him._ A Hyuuga my brother. _How can he say that?'_ As Kira's mental rant ended, his otouto's continued. "Everywhere I go, it feels like I'm suffocating under their glares… I- I want to know why!" He ended up shouting out the last part, but Tasuhake didn't even notice, enraged as he was. The villagers didn't attempt to hide their hatred and contempt for his Sochi, and yet they got away with it! They were practically breaking the law set by Sandaime-sama with their eyes alone. He was about to say something along the lines of, _"Well, I would need Sandaime-sama's permission..,"_ when his son suddenly pitched forward, losing consciousness.

"Naruto-Kun!" The two dark-haired males in the room cried out and rushed to see what was wrong. A quick check revealed… a snoring blonde. The two face-faulted.

' Wow… how focused…' Kira picked his brother up, excusing himself from the room so he could get his brother to bed. In the mean time, Tasuhake returned to his book, knowing his sochi was in safe hands. Giggling to himself, he turned another page, marveling at the ingenuity of the author. _'Ahh, Icha-Icha, you never cease to amaze me…'_

Naruto's mind.

Drip.

Drip.

Naruto cracked his eyes open a bit, and was surprised to not find himself in the room he shared with Kira. But now, he saw that he was in a tunnel of some kind. The air had a dank, musty smell to it, and the floor was covered in water an inch deep. An ominous yellow light filled the tunnel, and the many passages connecting it. He looked around franticly, trying to see how he got here, or if there was a door of some kind, or- a vibration ran through the air. It was filled with killer intent, enough to send a grown man into a coma. But as the wave reached Naruto, the intensity of the force lessened to the point where he could still breathe. A low rumbling sound drifted through the halls, echoing off every turn. Naruto began walking, following the sound. As the noise grew louder, it came to resemble a throbbing hum, like a rhythm or… purring. It sounded like an animal purring. Naruto began thinking franticly. What could make a sound that loud and yet still be… well, he didn't know what it was, but since the sound had grown deafening, it was safe to say that it was close. He rounded the corner, walking into a massive, high-ceilinged room. On the wall opposite the doorway was… a gargantuan cage. Thick, sturdy bars stretched from floor to ceiling, and the gate was held in place by a single slip of paper, the Kanji "Fuuin" written on it in large, calligraphic characters. The purring sound seemed to come from the cage, but nothing that big should be alive … The small child yelped in fright when, out of the shadows, a single blood red eye opened. The massive crimson orb stared at him, the purring sound only increasing. As the rest of the cage's inhabitant drew near, Naruto could only stare in horror at what was before him. An incredibly huge fox was crouching inside the cage, even though there was enough room for three Hokage Monuments inside. The great fox smiled slightly, a terrifying experience for anyone watching, as fangs the length of swords were bared. Two sentences were uttered, in a shockingly soothing yet rumbling voice.

**"So you have finally found me, Kit… I knew you would eventually."** Naruto began backing away slowly, the way anyone tries to escape something larger than they are, stammering.

"Wh-who a-are you? Where a-am I-I? How d-did I g-get here?" He looked up at the large fox fearfully, flinching as the eye blinked. The huge vulpine seemed almost surprised. Naruto began shaking, cowering before the massive creature. All he remembered was talking to his father, and then he collapsed. What in hell happened? He looked to the giant vulpine before him, hoping he would get answers soon. The fox seemed puzzled at first, then it began to chuckle.

**"Ah, that's right. You've never been here before, have you? Of course you wouldn't recognize your mindscape."** The fox mused, finding it slightly ironic that he wouldn't recognize his own soul. Then again, from what could be seen in the boy's memories, he was never one for meditation. Sighing and resigning itself to a long explanation, the Kyuubi bent down to the child's level and began to speak. "**Kit, this place is a mix of your subconscious, your soul, and your personality. Most like to call this space in between these three spiritual regions the 'Mind-scape.' The mindscape is, possibly, the most secure place in all existence. No secrets will escape unless you speak them, and your inner world can change to fit any requirement. Thus, many people meditate in order to seek their mindscapes, but a good many fail. The fact that you can travel here on a whim alone is astonishing."**

"But I didn't come here! I was kidnapped by my fricken' _mind_!" The blonde wailed in anger, outraged that he didn't get a say in being mindnapped. The massive Kitsune seemed to find this funny, judging from the growling laughs emanating from the cage.

**"You wanted to know why you are hated, yes? The answer is in front of you."**

And all of a sudden, it clicked. The glares, the unspoken hatred and fear, and now, this gargantuan creature in his mindscape….

"Kyuubi, the nine tailed Kitsune." The boy stated the name without so much as a whimper, more in awe than terror.

The Beast laughed, it's tails slapping against the pillar-like bars of the cage.

**"Good, Very good! You can recognize your animals now, eh, boy?"** It continued to laugh, then stopped as suddenly as it started.

**"But you still have questions, and trust me, the answers won't be as nice to hear as 'you're in your soul'."** A look of grim humor was on the fox's visage, and Naruto knew it was telling the truth. He stared into the kyuubi's gaze, and made his decision.

"Tell me what happened."

________________________________________________________________________

Remember: If there is a specific pairing you wish to see, then leave it in a review or pm me, and I'll reply at some point in one way or another. Now, review! R&R! I demand reviews!


	2. Gods, Devils, and those in between

No Naka Aoi Me

_Within Sapphire Eyes. _

_Chapter two._

_"Tell me what happened."_ Naruto demanded, his gaze calm, looking straight into the eyes of the Kyuubi. The answer came with a chuckle_,_

**"_Alright, little boy. If that's what you want to know, You better get comfortable."_**

_**"This is going to take a while."**_

**"_The world is not as you imagine it."_**

Naruto blinked.

"Wait, what?"

An annoyed growl emanated from the cage.

**"**_**Do you want to know, or not? I will not tolerate too many interruptions, brat."** _

**"_S-sorry."_** Naruto stammered, not wanting to get on it's nerves.

**"_Good. Now…. This world is not what it seems. Ninja have not always ruled. In fact, Chakra was "discovered" about three hundred years ago, and before that, it was Mana, used by mages, before that, magic wielded by spellcasters. Now…"_** The kyuubi looked the young boy in the eye, it's gaze serious.

**"_What do you know about the world before all of that?"_** Naruto wracked his brain for an answer, but could find none. When he told the fox so, it chuckled darkly.

**"_Exactly. That's because there IS no history from a thousand years ago. You see, the world was reborn through an event called 'Horobi.'"_** Naruto gaped, shocked by this revelation.

"A-apocalypse?!"

**"_Yes. Mankind had become corrupted, and was on the path to self-destruction. So, in order to save them, Our lord, Kami, ordered us to destroy civilization as it was known. We readily complied, having kept watch over this earth, and seeing the horrible truth of its inhabitants._**

**"_We rampaged, binging destruction unlike any had seen. And in the end, nothing remained of the old world."_**

"B-but, that would mean-"

**"_We did not wipe out the human race, obviously, but we made way for the new world. The act took a massive toll on us, however. Not physically, but we were scarred by the acts we had committed. The guilt, remorse, and horror was heaped on each of us by the very sight of the destroyed landscape."_** Here, the kyuubi paused, and seemed to stare off into space.

**"_It was….so…terrible.."_**It looked back down at Naruto, a sad look upon it's usually terrifying visage.

**"_The bijuu, stricken by what they had done, called upon god to help them, and cleanse their memories of the massacre. Kami-sama agreed, on the condition that we roam the earth, making sure that this never happened again."_** Naruto nodded. It was understandable. And so was the bijuu's request.

**"_However-!"_** The Bijuu stopped, then gave Naruto a wry smile.

**"_It seems that your brother doesn't want us to continue at the moment. We shall continue later."_** Naruto began to protest, but the bijuu cut him off.

**_"Naruto, you can return here any time. Just think about this place, and you can return. Now, wake up. Your brother is calling."_** The fox told him, and as Naruto woke, fading in his mindscape, the boy could only nod before he dissappeared. When It was sure the boy was gone, the fox waited a few minutes, before speaking aloud.

_**"You can come out now."**_

Soon, another being faded into veiw, though this one looked much older than the boy who had just been there.

_"So? Your opinion?" _He questioned, lifting one eyebrow. Kyuubi sighed, then nodded.

_"**You were right. It is far too soon for him to know the truth. He still believes the Maraki are his real family."**_ The figure chuckled.

_"As far as I'm concerned, they _are_ his family. I couldn't think of anyone better than Tasuhake to foster Naruto besides Jiraiya or Sarutobi himself. And besides, at least the Maraki aren't like the Uchiha, or the Hyuga. KAMI, they're arrogant." _The Kyuubi nodded, managing a little laugh as well.

_**"You're right. If they had adopted him, he would have turned out some spoiled brat, mostly likely with an obsession."**_ Here, the being shuddered.

_"Dear kami, I don't even want to _think_ about that."_ The man exclaimed, hunching over in an exagerated expression of horror. The fox began to laugh, and soon, the man joined in. when their meriment had died down, the fox looked toughtfully at the other.

**_"Perhaps, though...If he had the maraki to help him along, then he COULD learn of it."_** The man made a hhmming noise, then nodded reluctantly.

_"I suppose so... I'll leave it to you then." _

The Bijuu nodded, and as he began to fade away, the figure whispered,

_"Good luck, Naruto..."_

--

Naruto awoke, raising himself to a sitting position. Looking around, he saw that Kira was sitting across the room, on his own bed. The dark haired boy waved,

"Yo." The blonde stretched, then stood up.

"How long was I out?" Kira shrugged, then picked up a random book lying on the floor.

"I dunno. Maybe a few hours." Naruto rolled his eyes, and, noticing the ever present mess his brother left in his wake, began tidying up the room. Until...

_"Whoa!"_ Kira whipped around, and saw Naruto staring at three multicolored books, which had been hidden under the mess.

"Aniki, you grabbed these?!" His brother nodded, looking more than slightly embarassed, and more than a little proud. Naruto turned back to the books, snatching them up and flopping onto Kira's bed along with his brother.

"So... are they all the same?" he whispered conspiritorally, his brother joining in after making sure there was no one around to listen.

"Ok, so this Orange and Green one is the special version of the one Dad had. An "Author's edition" or someting. It has pictures too, see?" He opened the book, and Naruto felt the blood trickling almost immediately.

"No wonder dad likes it.." He whispered, wiping the blood off on his wrist. Kira grinned, then pointed to the Red book with the blue circle on the back.

"This one is probably the _only one_ with an actual adventure-type plot, except for chapters four through eight. Those ones are _all_ like the rest. And this one," he said, holding up the Green and Red book.

"_This_ one not only has pictures, but it's got _tips_ on how to do this stuff!" The two looked at the books in awe, then turned and gave each other a high five.

"You are _so _the best brother ever, Kira." Naruto proclaimed, clapping the taller boy on the back.

"But I'm surprised you read them so fast. Are they that short?" Kira shook his head, still worried about being overheard.

"No, that's not it. It's just that they fly by. Those books are meant for short, quick reads. Like, one chapter at a time." The older brother explained, while Naruto started to look thoughtful.

"Kira, what do you want to do?"

"hmm?" The older boy looked up from the book he was reading confused. "what?"

"Like, what do you want to accomplish in life?" The brown haired boy stared for a second, then shrugged, deciding it was ok to say it out loud.

"I....if I wasn't a ninja...or going to be one...I think I'd like to be an artist of some kind...maybe get married, have a kid or two....I think I'd be happy then..." he trailed off, looking oddly peaceful, like the idea alone brought him happiness. Kira then looked over to his brother, and grinned, poking him in the ribs. "And what about you?" Naruto growled and shifted, poking Kira back. Kira smirked knowingly, and said in a sing-song voice, "Perhaps you dream of a certain Hyuuga~?" Naruto promptly gave him a bop on the head.

"I only talked to her ONCE!"

"Yeah, but she was really into you from the looks of it." Kira said, giving his brother a knowing smirk. Naruto frowned.

"How do you figure that?"

Kira laughed.

"She only blushed and stuttered when it was _you_ she was talking to!"

The blonde stared, shocked. Now that he thought about it, it _was_ odd that she talked normally to everyone else. He leaned back, not sure wat to say or do, and decided to put what the kyuubi had said to the test

He thought about the sewers.

(A/N) Well, How did I do? Good? Bad? Horrible? Epic? I know people like this story, and I do too. I want to thank those who gave me reviews, and I hope they come back to read more in the future. So, yeah, look forward to more in said distant future. :P Please, R&R !


	3. Hey guys

Ladies and gentlemen...

I would first like to thank you for reading this fanfic, _Within Sapphire Eyes. _If you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it...well, you coulda done a lot better.

So this brings me to my first point of the day...er...night.

I will not be continuing Within Sapphie Eyes as it is now.

No, I am not merely abandoning it, my dear readers. Rather, I am _Rewriting it_.

You see, I feel that this fanfiction deserves better from me, and I belive the quality of the reader, not just the writer, is also integral to the success of a story. So you see, I fear that perhaps my fanfiction is not quite appealing or satisfying with only two chapters. I at one point was ready to give up on it, but then realized that would make me just another lame-ass who can't see something through.

Which brings me to my second point. I currently have chapters in the works for my other fics. I will not be rewriting _You Are Not Alone_, nor _The Tale of Warring Worlds_. Those, I feel, are both pleasing and sufficient, respectively. _Privaron Primera_ may recieve a rewrite eventually, but for now it is on hold. _NatsuKashi-Hen_ will also be put on hiatus after it's grand total of _one chapter_. Sad, I know. Anyway, I will be focussing on _WSE_, _YANA, _and _TOWW_. _Kira: Heir to the Heaven's Gate Eye_ is my longest work to date, and while I do love writing it, I am currently not really capable of writing that story. I'm sure some of you can understand.

I also have a new poll up on my profile, this one a bit vague as to what the choices mean. Should you vote, you will see what it means. If nobody votes...I suppose noone will get any say in what happens, then. Seems fair enough to me.

I thank those that DID vote in any of my other polls- you know who you are...cuz I sure as hell don't. Also receiving my gratitude are those of you who review my stories. It's very kind of you. I'm surprised I don't get any flames, however. Very odd.

Now, I am currently drowning in ideas for my rewrite of _WSE_, so should anyone want to discuss these_** in depth**_, please feel free to message me.

That's it for my announcements. If I ever have anything else to say, I'll update this post, so if you would like to receive more "Newsletters", add this to your alerts. Or not, it doesn't bother me, really.

See ya all sometime soon,

Lord Gale


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